Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Monday, June 15, 2009

Runaround is a short film directed by KT Auleta, centered around three small town teenagers in America, following them through the summer as they experiment with boys and sunbathing on the roof.

I really wish I knew how I could get hold of a copy of this, because A.) my roof is far too weak for summer sunbathing, so I'll need to live my dream of doing so through the characters B.) i'm very partial to a little arsy indie film every now and then. and C.) well, I guess I better mention Isabelle McNally plays the lead..

Saturday, June 13, 2009

let's close our eyes and take an imaginary street tour of new york.(..wait you'll need to open them again to actually read this)and meet some people as we wander, and look at their clothes.just for the sake of saturday daydreaming!lesley arfin on her bike.i love lesley arfin. she's all tattooed and mouthy looking on the outside but you just know that if you burst into tears she'd be the first to give you a big hug and take you to the bathroom some dmc.*

*deep meaningful conversation, just incase that got lost in translation

just because these guys are cute as pie and totally flyy.also because she has the idea with the army jacket. they're the perfect alternative to denim on a summers night.

just to clarify, are scrunchies making a comeback?because right now, i'm thinking that wouldn't be an awful thing..

Thursday, June 11, 2009

When i did my stint of work experience at lingerie supremes Rigby and Peller, I was well and truly converted to the "always start with a good bra" philosophy. While previously I was likely to tutt at such a statement, placing it in the category of pointless fashion rules alongside "never wear black and brown" now I often notice if a woman is wearing ill-fitting underwear.

I think teenage girls are put off going for fittings (I know I was) because of that age-old issue of "will I have to remove my bra in front of the measurer?" As somebody with a small chest, I always dismissed the need for a proper measurement, instead starting with an A cup from Tammy. So years later when a free fitting at Rigby was offered, it turned out that I was infact four cup sizes bigger and a chest size smaller than I had thought. "D? I can't be a D!" I muttered as the fitter fastened me up. Alas I am. And the comfortable fit was enough proof, as well as the fitter's reassurance that women generally wear their cup too small and chest too wide. My perception of bra sizes and proportions, I realised had been completely skewif.

I was also taught that the best way to put on your bra was to lower yourself into it, and I must admit it took a bit of practise to do this, after all the years of that lazy, 'fasten it upside down and hoik it up' trick.After my work experience, I came back home, urging all of my friends to get a proper bra fitting. "I have before, at Marks and Spencer!" they would reply, though I had been told that bra fitters should be able to match a woman to her bra by looking at her, rather than actually measuring with a tape, which is what the ladies at M&S do. I am aware that this story has a distinctive whiff of "girl gets brainwashed by bra cult", but don't take my advice as biased, because once you have a free fitting at somewhere like Rigby and Peller (or a 'high class equivalent' in your respective countries(!)..) you will instantly feel the difference.

It doesn't mean you will be constricted to a life of trying to afford expensive underwear; once you know your size you can always roughly apply this to the high street, like I do.And there is something incredibly rewarding about walking down the street in jeans, a jumper and some converse knowing that beneath this simple ensemble is some fantastic underwear.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

First there were streetstyle blogs, then concepts like The Selby and Show Me Your Wardrobe popped up giving us a chance through sneak into peoples' homes and wardrobes.A style blog that lets us go behind the scenes at the office is what I'm craving next. Not just any office you understand; because having seen what the girls are wearing at the HQs of Vogue, Topshop and Loverare wearing, the bar has been set high.

Sunday, June 07, 2009

I chanced copies of these beautiful videos over atbien dans da peau and at first I assumed they had been created by some anonymous Scandinavian film director, a little speck in the gigantic sphere of Youtube.

Alas, further investigation led me to discover that they are indeed the videos accompanying Stella McCartney's special Net-A-Porter.com collections. I was a little disappointed, as I find my first assumption appealing, however it cannot be denied that these videos perfectly epitomise the femininity of the Stella McCartney brand and upon realising this was the project on which Stella had collaborated with the fabulous artist Sir Peter Blake it all made sense.

Produced and directed by the Net A Porter team, the videos could easily be mistaken for the brainchild or Sofia Coppola or Tim Walker.

They are a visual treat and I'm sure for those of you who go a little weak at the knees when thinking of peonies, broderie anglaise and barefoot bike rides (who doesn't?) you'll find these a incarnation of your favourite girlish daydreams.I don't think I'm alone in wishing that my days during this summer will consist of spontaneous climbing of Magnolias (even more wishful seeing as they bloom in spring..) or ducking through floral jungles in creamy suits. Or wading through chilly rivers in my knickers with my best friend. Ah, dream on, dream on..

Of course, they're more effective when viewed together, but I think "Poem" is my favourite, for that mouthwatering combination of the pink hydrangeas against the girls' suits. Which one do you love best?

good lord, I wish I could afford an itsy bitsy teeny weeny zimmermann frilled bikini. ah, what the hell, luckily I can settle for this not-so-disimilar topshop version and use the rest to fund boat trips and deep sea swimming in corfu! not so bad after all!

Saturday, June 06, 2009

1. scrub the pen off of your hands2. brush your hair3. mop up your mascara smudges4. put on a long skirt5. smile like you mean it6. and have dinner with the grown ups.pics, the skullsetps, how long before alexa chung starts popping up on that site?

These three bloggers inspire me to no end. I know, I know, it's easy to throw about words like "inspire" or "love" but I can safely say that inspiration is what keeps me pressing "older posts" each time I reach the end of their pages.

With the number of new fashion blogs clocking up each day, and the new rather ironic phenomenon of "blogging trends" (yes, a trend in the pictures and the trends that we post about), the individuality of these three writers is incredibly refreshing and welcomed. That is not to discredit the hundreds of fantastic fashion blogs out there, because hey, sharing a little mutual appreciation can be exciting. Nor is this to leave unacknowledged those who also drum to the beat of their down drums. However, that these bloggers qualify writing about something because it is one of their genuine interests (be that Edwardian dresses, Hal Ashby or darkrooms) rather than because it may be the latest vogue is a quality that makes their pages stand out in my eyes.

THE THINKING TANK

NAME: PiaURL: www.thethinkingtank.wordpress.comTWO REASONS TO HEART THE THINKING TANK: 1. Her interests read like the hobbies of a protagonist from any of my favourite films; existentialism, the darkroom, haiku poems. culture junkies always get my approval! 2. She is a great photographer with a wonderful eye and an appealing tendency towards all that is clean and minimal, albeit pretty.SHE'LL INSPIRE YOU TO: Take on a summer project like cataloging old photos or creating a scrapbook.ANYTHING ELSE? I defy you to dislike any combination that she put together for her summer outfits post. I'll take everything, please!

RINGO, HAVE A BANANA

NAME: SiriURL: www.ringohaveabanana.blogspot.comTWO REASONS TO HEART RINGO, HAVE A BANANA: 1. Siri is shares her good knowledge rather than hoards it. So you'll know where to find the best wooden sandals or which new music to listen to. 2. A substantial amount of her brain use is dedicated to Chloe Sevigny.SHE'LL INSPIRE YOU TO: Become an expert in 1970s film and then let this filter into your wardrobe.WHERE DOES SHE GET HER CLOTHES?She's an etsy fan and has her own store, named after the cult classic film Harold and Maude (she's a Film student). Click here.. etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6346040

NAME: MadeleneURL:www.portillon.wordpress.comTWO REASONS TO LOVE LE PORTILLON: 1. Madelene is a bloody good writer and the blog is full of original articles with interesting tips and "how-to"s. 2. Jane Birkin, Sofia Coppola and French references make her heart flutter, just like mine.SHE'LL INSPIRE YOU TO: Rethink your approach to style and trends in a liberating way.HER TOP TIP: "Find inspiration as far away from the fashion industry as possible. Somewhere out of touch with all things Emmanuelle Alt and Alexander Wang. whenever I spend time sans internet and magazines, I become immensely creative. Boredom does that to you."

Friday, June 05, 2009

At the risk of sounding like a ubiquitous "celebrities; they're just like us!" tabloid article, it's both refreshing and endearing to see Chloe Sevigny getting so much enjoyment out of all of her Chloe pieces.

Granted, if I had a pair of Chloe scalloped shorts, then damn right I'd be wearing them everyday (how else would they become cost-effective?) but when somebody who is high enough up the "fashion ladder" to get a collections worth for free still can't bare to take them off, well, it warms the cockles of my heart!

Ms Sevigny looks radiant in every case (With the possible exception of the last image, taken at the Big Love press conference last month, only because she opted to pay homage to her Mormon character's hair) and as she has said in the past, she has been sticking to the legs-on-show formula which makes the most of her best feature(s).

Though it's nice to see a little variety, there is something about the (self) styling of these recent outings that harks back to that idea of a capsule wardrobe. Having 12 pieces of so, that you know work well for you and just remixing them each time with a couple of different pairs of shoes. It depends what kind of person you are, as I wonder if in truth I'd get sick of such a routine. Maybe the "capsule closet concept" is purely a fashion editor's gimmick; a way of persuading us to buy those £700 Yves Saint Laurent as part of our 'refined collection'? A way of reasoning with us to buy a designer piece that otherwise would have an intolerable price tag.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

"Sometimes we caught sight of tattered knee socks rounding a corner, or came upon them doubled over, shoving books into a cubbyhole, flicking the hair out of their eyes. But it was always the same: their white faces drifting in slow motion past us, while we pretended we hadn't been looking for them at all, that we didn't know they existed." The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides

Ever read something on this blog that touched you, made you guffaw, or that you passed onto a friend because you thought they might like it? If so, would you like to buy me a coffee to enjoy whilst writing at the weekend?